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Friday, January 9, 2015

Sri Ram told to leave legal firm in midst of Anwar’s sodomy appeal, say sources

Former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, who led the defence in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II trial, has set up his own legal firm after allegedly pressured into leaving Soo Thien Ming & Nashrah. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 9, 2015.Former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, who led the defence in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II trial, has set up his own legal firm after allegedly pressured into leaving Soo Thien Ming & Nashrah. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 9, 2015.
Former senior judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, who caused a stir when he appeared in court last October to lead the defence in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s final sodomy conviction appeal, was pressured to leave the law firm Soo Thien Ming & Nashrah in the midst of the hearing, sources said.
Sources told The Malaysian Insider that 71-year-old Sri Ram, however, continued as Anwar’s counsel until the sodomy appeal was concluded.
"It is unclear whether Sri Ram was ordered to pack off due to outside pressure applied to the firm as he was appearing for Anwar in a high-profile case or the partners had cold feet seeing their consultant having a direct role in the case," a source said.
The legal firm located on Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, does litigation and conveyancing work and its clients include government-linked companies and financial institutions.
Managing partner Soo Thien Ming was not available for comment as he is currently overseas.
Sri Ram, when contacted, was coy about his departure but said he set up his own firm last month.
He said he now has more flexibility and could take on any work he chose.
"After Anwar's case, I decided that the kind of practice that I was involved in does bring a lot of conflict. Because of that, I can't appear as lawyer or give advice where the (previous) firm was involved," he added.
Anwar’s appeal in the Federal Court, which started on October 28, saw Sri Ram facing off with Umno lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who was given a temporary licence as deputy public prosecutor.
Anwar's appeal is the first case that Sri Ram, since retiring as judge, handled and completed after eight days of submission before a five-man bench chaired by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria.
In an interview with The Malaysian Insider soon after his Federal Court appearance, Sri Ram, when asked what made him take up Anwar's sodomy appeal, said: "I am like a taxi and must serve any passenger who hails me."
He said he would represent anyone in criminal cases provided there was no conflict of interest.
Sri Ram, who has written several landmark criminal and civil judgments often cited by lawyers, also said he took the opposition leader's case as his "life and liberty" was involved.
In early March last year, the Court of Appeal convicted Anwar  on a charge of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, in a unit of the Desa Damansara condominium, Bukit Damansara, in 2008.
He was sentenced to five years' jail, but the court granted a stay on the sentence, pending his appeal to the Federal Court.
Anwar's political career as an elected representative will end if the Federal Court upholds the appellate court’s decision, as he will be disqualified from office if fined more than RM2,000 or jailed more than year.
- TMI

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